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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · fall · bat · face · branch · arm · wind · prune

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to tire
  6. branch — a division
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fall — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — part of the head
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bore — to drill
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to confront
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com